And then there were two. One a man who leads one of Idaho’s largest school districts, the other a woman and career educator who now serves in leadership in a Virginia school system. In a matter of days, one will take on the challenge of leading Pueblo School District 60. A third finalist for the job took back his candidacy last week.
Both finalists, Dr. Shon Hocker, current superintendent of Coeur d’Alene School and Dr. Barbara Kimzy, Chief Schools Officer for Norfolk, Virginia, schools visited Pueblo last week to interview and introduce themselves to the city in a public forum held at Pueblo Central High School.
Either Hocker or Kimzey will succeed current Superintendent and Pueblo native Charlotte Macaluso. Macaluso, who has held the position since 2017, announced her retirement earlier this year. Her last day is June 30th.
Whoever takes the reins of the 16,000-student school district, which includes 30 schools, will have big shoes to fill. Former Chief Judge Dennis Maes, who now serves on the city’s Board of Education, once called Macaluso “the best superintendent the city has ever had,” and “the poster child for education and particularly for young people of color.”
The district has 17 elementary schools, four middle schools and four high schools. Last fall, the district opened five new schools, each replacing buildings that had fallen into disrepair, were too costly to renovate or simply aged out.
Construction of five new buildings in a two-year span with each opening on time and meeting budget is considered an epic accomplishment across the state of Colorado.
In his introduction, Hocker, who has led the 11,000 student Coeur d’Alene schools since 2017, stressed the importance of communications and collaboration in building a strong educational foundation. “I am a firm believer that student success should not be driven based upon the neighborhoods or the addresses in which they reside,” he said. “You need to have a school system that has all the right supports in every one of your campuses to do that.”
Hocker, a North Dakota native, has no ties to Colorado beyond confessing to being a life-long Denver Bronco fan and having once seriously considering Adams State University for his undergraduate education. Alamosa’s deep-freeze winters, he said, dissuaded him from going there to play football. He instead chose Idaho State University. He has served as a superintendent for 17 years and has been involved in education for 29 years.
Kimzey, who has spent her career in education and served as a school principal and assistant principal, has worked in challenging school environments over her career.
One of Kimzey’s early experiences was in a Virginia school that was failing. It had fallen into a ‘red zone’ of education and had been denied accreditation following years of failing to meet state standards. The school’s teacher turnover rate was also nearing 50 percent when she took over. It was also cited for having a simmering safety record. It took four years, but Kimzey said it ultimately reached full state accreditation.
Photo courtesy: Pueblo School District 60
Kimzey was a classroom teacher early in her career. She taught German and remains a strong advocate for the importance of multilingualism. But to be a successful superintendent, Kimzey said it’s not simply important but essential to have a strong and open line of communication from administration to classroom teachers to students and families.
In her meet-and-greet, Kimzey said an open dialogue involving all district constituents is vital. The Virginia educator said she is a strong advocate of student advisory councils. “I have seen it be very powerful as long as the superintendent, and I would be very clear with principals that are providing those names that it needs to be a true cross-section of kids…making sure that is a diverse representation of students,” she said.
Kimzey’s interest in Pueblo began following a stop in the city en route to the Great Sand Dunes. Prior to her visit to the state, she said she had no interest in relocating but decided to put her name up for consideration when she read the Pueblo top job posting.
Members of the District School Board contacted by LaVozColorado demurred on answering any questions about the selection until it is made sometime later this month. However, Pueblo native and former chief of staff for former Senator Ken Salazar Ken Lane cautioned the selection of the new superintendent be thoroughly considered and focused on things the district’s current leadership has not.
For too long, Lane said, Pueblo’s school leadership has fallen short in reaching its potential. In an open letter to the Board, Lane said, things have to change. “School principals are treated by the Administration as glorified hall monitors within their schools, straightjacketed in their duties by an overweening central office.” Lane, who retired as the spokesman for Denver District Attorney Beth McCann three years ago and relocated to his hometown, said the District needs to rethink partnerships with “students, staff, city government and the business community. “The new superintendent needs to be what the outgoing superintendent was not, an active cheerleader for D60, and a partner and participant in efforts to grow Pueblo and its economy.”
The new superintendent begins work on July 1st with an annual salary set between $225,000 and $300,000.
